SEA Games: Lee ends 10-year absence with 13-minute win
PUBLISHED ONJune 10, 2015 12:54 PM
SINGAPORE - Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei spent just 13 minutes on court on Wednesday as he made a lightning start to what is likely to be his final SEA Games after returning from a drugs ban.
The long-time world number one, now ranked 46th after his eight-month doping suspension, floored Cambodia's Cheng Phor Phom 21-10, 21-5 in a 3-0 team win for Malaysia.
Lee, 32, hasn't played the regional Olympics for a decade and he said this Southeast Asian (SEA) Games was likely to be his last.
"This time, I think (it's) my last time in the SEA Games. I hope that I can enjoy it," said Lee, who is only playing the team event in Singapore.
The two-time Olympic runner-up will hope to build form and fitness ahead of the Jakarta world championships in August, where he will represent Malaysia despite his low ranking.
He said Tuesday's hit-out was important before Malaysia face the stiffer test of top seeds Indonesia in the semi-finals on Thursday.
"It is important that we fielded our full team today so that we can get a feeling of the court for tomorrow," Lee told reporters in Bahasa.
Lee received an eight-month, backdated ban for accidentally ingesting a banned inflammatory, and he won all his matches on his comeback at last month's Sudirman Cup.